A turret having the ability to hold several tools and to be able to bring any one of those tools into contact with the work piece is desirable. The efficiency of the machine tool having such a turret is greatly increased as the need to stop the machine while the tools are changed is eliminated. Providing such a machine with a tool coolant mechanism, as well as adapting the turret for being displaceable in at least two axes of motion, is also greatly desirable.
It is know from Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,563, to provide an indexable machine tool turret capable of bringing any one of a number of tools into working position with the work piece. Brown discloses the use of an air motor driving a gear train for rotating the turret. Additionally, Brown provides a number of keys on the turret body for seating with corresponding key slots in the turret top plate for accurately positioning the turret top plate. A cylinder mechanism is employed for lifting the top plate and disengaging the key slots from the keys so that the air motor may drive the turret. A major problem with Brown is that the air motor vents to the atomosphere and is very loud and objectionable therefore. An additional problem is the relatively large size of the keys with a result that only relatively few keys are possible.
Furthermore, it is known from Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,879, to provide a rotatable turret with a coolant system for cooling the tool and which system is capable of rotating with the turret. A basic problem with Martin is that the turret is not of the type in which the top plate is axially displaceable and, also, that the coolant system requires a check valve.
While both Brown, and Martin provide partial solutions to the problems of an indexable machine tool turret, they can be improved. The disclosed invention provides an indexable machine tool turret system which is capable of cooling the tool, of selectable indexing the turret top plate, and of being mounted on a cross-slide carriage for providing multiple axes of work.